notice me
by reviee
Summary: COP AU. SasuSaku. The eye always fills in the imperfections. —for ssmonth


**prompt**—watching  
**summary: **The eye always fills in the imperfections.  
**note: **Summary quote is from _Rahib Alameddine. _Anyways, this story features police officer Sasuke and Naruto, as well as a cute Sakura in protective custody. I should also stop being obsessed with Madara being in the yakuza and the other half of the Uchiha clan being in the Police Task Force. Sasuke might also be slightly creepy in this one because he watches Sakura. (It's supposed to be quite romantic, actually.) This may or may not be inspired by _Something About You _by Julie James. It's a good book. I was also very close to writing something similar in _Flowing Time—_though that was inspired by _Tokyo Dogs_—which is now discontinued. Why is this 4,000+ words? I have no idea. Here's to day 3 of ssmonth!

* * *

notice me  
—reviee

* * *

Sakura should have known that when an old man surrounded by overly muscular, scary-looking men came into the hospital with a gunshot wound that he was the head of the mob. Then again, the hospital staff was taught never to judge. They were there to treat patients, regardless of who they were. By that philosophy, however, she had landed herself in protective custody until further notice.

She sighed, running a hand through her pink locks. There were two police officers standing outside her door. She could feel the stares and whispers as people passed by the resident's lounge; see the panic in some of the patients' faces. Sakura took a big swig of her water bottle.

"Hey, Forehead," Ino walked into the room, looking just as worn out as she did, "how are you holding up?"

Sakura shrugged, "It's same old, same old—except there may be a gang of scary men out to kill me. Whatever."

"I can't believe you get yourself into these messes." Ino grabbed a bottle of vitamin water out of the fridge, "_Of course_ you'd treat the mafia boss and _of course_ you'd overhear a word of their sketchy conversation. I'm telling you, Saks—only you."

"Shut up." Sakura mumbled, taking another sip of her water, "I got a surgery. I'll see you later. Specified police officers were assigned to me and they're supposed to arrive later today. If they can't find me, tell them I'm in the OR."

—

Sakura was completely spent when she came out of the operating room. Her hair was a mess of sweat and grease and her muscles were tense. She rolled her shoulders back, attempting to ease the knots. Coffee, she decided, was what she needed. As she pushed open the door leading to the lobby, she noticed two men in police uniforms standing in the waiting area. They looked oddly familiar.

"Sakura-chan!"

Immediately, she recognized the voice. The idiot's face was different, but his voice hadn't changed a bit. A wide grin spread across her face as all the fatigue disappeared. He enveloped her in a hug and squeezed tight. They hugged for a while, rocking side to side as he exclaimed how happy he was to see her again.

"Naruto," she laughed, "what are you doing here? You made it into the Police Task Force!"

Naruto grinned cheekily, "I told you, Sakura-chan! Anyways, we heard you were in a bit of a pickle. Naturally, we volunteered to be your bodyguards!"

"We?" Sakura echoed, peeking behind Naruto.

Uchiha Sasuke stood behind the blonde, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he watched their exchange with a bored expression. Sakura's heart skipped a beat—he was here, after all these years. She honestly never thought she'd see him again, but low and behold, here he was. Recollecting herself, she broke into another big smile.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed, going in for a hug before stopping herself. Sasuke didn't do hugs, so instead she retracted her arms and stuck her hand out. "Nice to see you again."

"Aa, likewise." He replied, taking her hand and shaking it with polite interest. A pang of disappointment coursed through her.

Naruto cut in happily, "Yeah! So, we're here to protect you from the bad guys!"

"Tch," Sasuke grunted, "Idiot. We've been working on this case for months. Sakura just happened to be in the mix."

Naruto jabbed Sasuke with his elbow and then returned to laughing, facing Sakura. A nostalgic smile spread across her face, seeing them argue. It used to happen all the time in high school. They were the loudest—or rather, Naruto was the loudest.

"Let me grab my stuff. I'll meet you guys back here in ten minutes?" Sakura smiled, cutting the boys' impending argument.

"We'll be right here!"

—

"Wake up."

Sakura stirred and shot up, realizing she was in the back of a police cruiser. Sasuke stood above her, his eyes passive. She gave him an apologetic smile and shuffled out of the car. Her head was still groggy, but at least she didn't stumble. Sasuke shut the door behind her.

It was oddly quiet as they walked into her modest apartment building. Naruto was taking everything in and checking out the surroundings. Sasuke was remembering every crevice in the building, in case there were any surprises. They were both truly here to protect her, she thought. This wasn't just some reunion of three best friends—it was life or death situation.

High school had been a different time. She didn't want to say it was easier, but it was less serious. They were shielded from the world and all its nasty components. The most painful thing was probably love. Sakura sighed—her love for Sasuke had stemmed from elementary school. She had entered high school with hopes of finding a new love interest. Even so, Sasuke had always been the one that made her heart thump.

Sakura went on dates, but she had never made any real commitment. In the back of her mind, she knew she had only gone on those dates in hopes that Sasuke would be jealous and suddenly recuperate her feelings. How naïve she had been. Sakura smiled—at least she had dated someone for a while when she was an intern. Shouji—a nurse from Iwa—was a perfectly nice guy. She found him bland after a while, although she did enjoy his company for that time.

"Here we are!" Sakura announced, unlocking her front door.

The place was clean. She barely spent any time in her apartment, let alone spend enough time in it to mess it up. Magazines from months ago were placed perfectly on her coffee table and a comforter was folded neatly and strewn on the back of her couch. She threw her keys in the basket beside the doorway and hung her purse on the hook.

"Are you guys going to sleep?" She asked, turning to face both of them, "The couch is comfortable. I'll get you a pillow and another blanket."

"One of us is going to be stationed outside your room and the other will take the couch." Sasuke explained, watching as she nodded and went into her room.

Naruto and Sasuke inspected her space while she was gone. There were photographs of her and Ino, laughing at the beach. In a row, there were her graduations pictures from elementary, high school and university. Naruto grinned at the sight of her high school picture, while Sasuke remained serious. She came back after a moment, arms full with a blanket and a pillow.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, it's okay! We don't need that many blankets!" Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head, "We'll just be dozing."

Sakura smiled and dumped them on the couch. "Whatever suits you. I'll just leave them here. Does anyone want tea?"

—

Sasuke was the first one to guard Sakura's room. He watched as she padded around her room, bare-footed, to get ready. Women were so fussy, he thought grudgingly as she sat down at her vanity. Her face was a little red—from her shower, he guessed. She rubbed lotion over arms and shoulders. Then she dipped her index finger into a pot of cream and dabbed it under her eyes. It wasn't all. Sasuke continued to watch as she rubbed serum and moisturizer all over her face.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Her soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He focused on her and saw that she was in the middle of rubbing hand cream over her palms. She was staring at him, confused. He realized he had zoned out and that he was staring.

"Aa," he responded, "what?"

Sakura turned back to the mirror, now spraying something in her hair. "Why did you become a police officer?"

"No reason." Sasuke shrugged, crossing his arms.

Finally, he thought, she was done. Sakura got up, turned off the bathroom lights and got under the covers. Her arm—he noticed its muscles were defined—reached out to click off the lamp beside her bed.

"Could you shut the door?" She asked politely and then added, "Good night, Sasuke-kun."

"Good night, Sakura." He shut the door.

—

The first thing he noticed about her when she slept was that she snored really loudly. Sasuke was sitting next to the door, back against the wall. Through the wooden door, he could hear her snores. She didn't stir—her snores were continuous and constant. She was a deep sleeper, he concluded.

During the night, she choked once. Her snore was cut off by a coughing fit and Sasuke immediately shot up and opened the door. Just as he focused on her in the dark, she had settled herself back in bed as if nothing had happened.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Sasuke leaned against the doorframe. Her sleeping form looked fragile. She wasn't small—the top of her head reached around his nose—but the thought that crossed his mind was that she needed to be protected. She wasn't skinny, either, with her lean muscles. He remembered she liked doing martial arts when they were in high school.

Quietly, he backed out of her room. He gently shut the door behind him.

—

The second thing Sasuke remarked about Sakura was that she woke up abnormally early.

For someone who was lacking sleep, she was awfully cheery in the morning. Her shift started at seven AM and she woke up at five AM to make herself breakfast. _Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,_ she chirped when he asked her why she was up so early. Her cooking smelled delicious, too.

"Here," she placed two plates on her dining table, "You two have some too. Don't worry—I'm a good cook."

"Wow, Sakura-chan, where did you learn how to cook?" Naruto was shoveling rice into his mouth.

Sakura laughed, "Me and Ino decided to eat healthy when we entered med school. We learned how to cook then."

After a good, hearty breakfast, Sakura was getting ready. She didn't take nearly as much time preparing herself for work than she did getting ready for bed, which Sasuke found peculiar. In ten minutes, she was in her scrubs; running shoes in hand and ready to go.

"I'll drive you to work today!" Naruto exclaimed, fishing car keys out of his back pocket, "Teme needs to set up the cameras and bugs."

"You're _bugging_ my apartment? Is it really necessary?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Of course! We want to know everything that happens in here 24/7. There's a van two blocks from here that'll be watching. Don't worry, Sakura-chan! Everything's going to be okay."

—

"Living with Sasuke, huh?"

Sakura looked up to see Ino staring down at her. She had a chocolate chip cookie in her hand and was happily munching away. The blonde shoved the container towards her friend, urging her to take some. She grabbed three as Ino sat down alongside her.

"Yeah," Sakura mumbled, "Well, it's not that bad. It's not bad at all. You know how he is—it's like he doesn't even exist."

"Is he still hot?" Ino demanded, mouthful of cookie.

Sakura laughed, "Yeah, yeah he is. He looks really good in his uniform, too."

"Man, you've got it bad." Ino punched her in the arm, "Maybe this is your chance, you know? Or the world just really, _really _hates you."

"I liked him for so long. It'd be weird not to feel anything when he comes back around again. As for it being my second chance, Sasuke is still Sasuke. No chance of anything happening… ever." Sakura sighed.

"Sure, but we've grown up! You're _adults_"—Ino emphasized this word—"now. Use it to your advantage."

Sakura gave a pointed look to Ino, "Does Sasuke even look at girls?"

"Come on, Doctor Haruno. We know of every hormone in the body and we know even Uchiha Sasuke is not immune to them." Ino winked at her before shutting the lid of her container and getting up, "I'm going to check on some of my patients. Wear that sexy nightgown I got you for your twenty-first birthday!"

"Whatever, Pig!"

—

"This seems like a big deal." Sakura murmured, turning from the window to peer at Sasuke. "How serious is it?"

"Serious." He replied immediately.

Sakura grumbled, "Come on, Sasuke-kun. This is my safety we're talking about. Let me in on some of the details, at least."

"They've been laundering money for a long time. They run the biggest drug cartel in Konoha and do a lot of business with other villages. We have almost enough information to bust them." He gave her a glance, "Are you sure you didn't hear any of their conversation? It would be useful."

"No." She replied quickly, "I didn't hear anything."

"If you did, you should tell us. This is serious." Sasuke warned, keeping his eyes on the road.

Sakura glared, "Sasuke-kun, I didn't hear anything. Why don't you just believe me? You've always doubted me, haven't you?"

"…"

Sasuke didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He focused on driving and kept his mind clear. On the other side of the car, however, he felt her anger. Not only that, but there was a certain strain in the air. Sakura was seething, but Sasuke wasn't quite sure why she was so mad. It was a perfectly polite way of interrogating somebody, he thought, god knows he could've done worse.

—

They arrived. Sasuke stopped the engine and turned to her. She made a move to get out of the car when he called her name.

"What?" she hissed, turning to face him.

He saw the frustration, the disappointment and everything else on her face. His eyes searched hers for a long time, trying to decode what she was thinking. His eyebrows furrowed before he turned away, taking the key out of the ignition.

"Nothing."

—

Sasuke was on duty for the first night shift again.

Sakura sat in her chair, once again slathering body lotion and face cream all over her. This time, he noticed, she was wearing something skimpier. He scowled—couldn't she have saved her lingerie for when she wasn't being watched by others? They hadn't spoken since her outburst in the car. Naruto had noticed the tension, but didn't comment. The blonde had gone to Sasuke after supper and told him to _stop pissing Sakura-chan off_.

Tch. As if he pissed Sakura off all the time. In high school, she had been perfectly content to be with him. Grade eight was proof of that—she vomited her feelings out on the last day before summer break. She was in love with him, she said. What useless nonsense, he had thought. He realized her feelings were genuine, probably the most genuine affection he's been given since his parents died.

Sasuke glanced back to Sakura, who was dragging herself across the room to her bed. The nightgown she was wearing reached barely mid-thigh. As her hips swayed when she walked, the gown hitched up. Sasuke quickly looked away.

When he looked back, she was safely tucked into her bed and clicking off the light. Sasuke shut the door without a sound and settled on the floor.

As he dozed off in his seat beside her door, he thought of her creamy thighs and long lean legs. He thought of the way the gown shifted when she walked across her room and that she rubbed lotion over the silky skin. Sasuke woke up again hours later with a start as he slowly turned in the direction of her room. He really needed to close this case.

—

Exactly four days later, the yakuza had decided to strike.

"Get out!" Naruto shouted, rushing towards Sasuke. "Back-up is coming. Get her _out_ of here, do you hear me?"

Sasuke barged through Sakura's bedroom door. He shook her awake. The panic must've shot through the sleepiness, because she had quickly stumbled out of bed and slipped on a pair of ballet flats. He cringed, watching her as she scrambled after him in a hurried fashion. At least she had the decency to wear shorts tonight—albeit they were a little short—at least they would be more convenient for the running she was assured to do.

He grabbed her hand and led her to her kitchen at the back of her apartment. "Stay here," he warned sternly, "Don't come out until I told you clear. Understand?"

She nodded her head numbly before he dashed out to her living room. There were voices outside—mostly Naruto. Sasuke came back two seconds later, took her wrist and maneuvered her out of the apartment. They swerved off to the side, where he went down the staircase two steps at a time. She staggered after him, flying down the steps. He didn't relent, however, even after five flights of stairs.

Suddenly a gunshot rang out and Sakura's blood froze. If it hadn't been for Sasuke, she would have been paralyzed.

Sasuke ignored the gunshot and the clanging of the metal. A bullet whizzed past them and Sakura yelped. His hand lowered to intertwine their fingers, but she couldn't stop trembling. He pulled her forward, his speed steadily increasing. She heard the quick footsteps rushing behind them and it made her nervous beyond words. Her heart beat against her chest wildly and blood pounded in her ears. She didn't even feel how sore her legs were.

Finally, they made it outside. The cars whizzed past them on the street. Sasuke didn't even stop to look where they were going, though she was sure he knew exactly where he was. They had, after all, memorized every inch of her neighborhood. They ran two blocks—swerving to dodge civilians—before he abruptly pulled her into an alleyway. An industrial sized garbage sat to the side and Sasuke quickly led them to take refuge there.

They calmed down for a moment before Sakura angled her head to peer at Sasuke. He was breathing hard—just like her—with his hands resting on his knees. When he turned to return her stare, she felt her breath hitch. There was something in his eyes, something—

"Are you okay?" he panted.

It felt like he cared, she thought, and she hadn't felt that way in a long time. She nodded numbly. He continued to stare at her, as if he was taking in every inch of her. She looked extremely vulnerable—something about how her eyes weren't lined black or her lips glossed over with pink. Her cheeks were flushed pink and a sheen was seen on her forehead, nose and chin from the sweat. Her lips, now a very light pink and slightly dry, were parted. Her legs were bare and the ballet flats made her look even more unguarded.

There was something about the way her tongue came out to wet her lips and the bead of sweat that lay on her cupid's bow, because in a second, he had grasped her head and pushed her against the wall. His lips were on hers, furiously moving and coaxing her own to open.

Shock overwhelmed her, but the warmth and scent of him sent her mind reeling. There was a jolt to her core—a desire that resurfaced. Her hands instinctively went to cup his face, pulling him closer. Her thumbs brushed over his cheeks intimately. She opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Her hands trailed down, all the way to his chest where she pressed her palms firmly.

They pulled away, eyes drooping.

"I—Sasuke…" she breathed, aroused, "You—I… Why?"

His response was to cradle her head, bringing to his chest where her hands rested. Feeling sated, she rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his shirt and enjoyed the way his arms wrapped around her and made her safe.

—

"I'll be outside." Naruto waved and yawned. Beating up yakuza goons was hard work, to be honest.

Sasuke watched as Sakura looked around her apartment in disbelief. Though nothing had been broken, her couches and coffee tables were moved in odd angles. Her books and magazines were strewn across the room. She racked a hand through her hair and sighed—it had been a long night.

"What happened?" Sakura asked as she plopped down on her couch.

Sasuke leaned against the doorway, "They ran after us and three blocks from where we hid was our backup. They intercepted and they now have them in custody. Naruto rounded up the ones who came here."

"Ah, okay," Sakura nodded, too tired to make a coherent sentence.

He stood there, watching her. Her eyes drooped as she dozed off. Her shirt had lifted up and he could see the end of a huge scar. His eyebrows furrowed, wondering how she got it. His eyes drifted over to her right arm, where two long scars spanned. His gaze moved to her hands, which twitched every few seconds or so. They were too rough, he thought. There were calluses but they were dry, hard—despite the amount of cream she rubbed on every night. He could bet that she didn't have time to rub cream over her hands at the hospital.

Despite all these imperfections, though, he thought she glowed. Though she looked worn out and exhausted with dark circles and bags under her eyes, she looked serene. Silently, he padded over to her and took the stray blanket from the back of couch and draped it over her.

Before he walked out of the door, he shot her one last look. His mind floated back to their heated kiss in the alleyway. He remembered the way her hands had cupped his face, the rough pad of her thumb stroking over his skin. Tentatively, they had slid down, leaving a trail of lust behind. Her palms then rested on his chest, right over his beating heart. He smirked and then softly shut the door behind him. He made sure to lock it.

They could talk about it some other time.

—

"Ah!" Sakura groaned, looking down at her pager. "They need me down at the lobby. It never stops!"

Ino snorted, "You're the one who wanted to become a surgeon so badly."

Sakura glared at her before she started walking to the lobby. It's been three days since her gang fiasco ended and she had promised Naruto to meet up for ramen next week. It was really good seeing him again, she thought, and seeing Sasuke. She didn't smile at the thought of their kiss because—well, he hadn't called her. He's busy, she had reasoned with herself, but knew that it would be best if she forgot the incident entirely. Sasuke had never been the committed-relationship type. In fact, he wasn't a relationship type at all.

"Sakura."

Lo and behold, there he was with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He was looking straight at her—his eyes intense and dark. He was a man on a mission, she knew and she wondered why he was here.

"Sasuke-kun." She greeted politely, going over to him, "What brings you to Konoha General? Hopefully you're feeling well."

"I'm fine." He replied gruffly, "We should go on a date."

Sakura blinked. Sasuke was always straight to the point—but she could see the consequences of being nervous. His cheeks were pink, she could see his fingers moving under the fabric of his jeans and his jaw was clenched. He was avoiding eye contact. She stepped closer, willing him to look at her.

"Why?" she breathed, her heart beating loudly.

Sasuke gulped. "Because… I like watching you do things. You have a peculiar way of doing everything and it's different. I want to get to know you."

"…Okay." Sakura nodded. "Pick me up at seven on Friday."

"Wait." Sasuke grabbed her wrist as she was walking away and pulled her to him. She unceremoniously bumped into his chest.

Sakura looked up at him. She watched as his eyes darted around her face, taking in her forehead, eyes, nose and lips. His bangs shadowed his face as he lowered his head. As he got closer, she couldn't help but notice the roughness of his skin and the length of his eyelashes. When their lips touched, she closed her eyes.

She definitely liked kissing him.


End file.
